Minnesota Health Care Programs
1.3.1.3 Civil Rights
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), MNsure and county and tribal servicing agencies cannot treat people differently because of their race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, creed, religion, political beliefs, disability or status with regard to public assistance. Applicants and enrollees have the right to file a complaint when they believe they were treated in a discriminatory way by a state or local human services agency. All Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) application forms notify people of their civil rights. Applicants and enrollees can contact any of the following agencies directly to file a civil rights complaint.
Minnesota
Someone who believes they have been discriminated against by DHS or a county or tribal servicing agency because of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, public assistance status, age, or disability, they have the right to file a complaint with:
Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Equal Opportunity and Access
P.O. Box 64997, St. Paul, MN 55164-0997
651-431-3040 (voice) 711 or 800-627-3529 (MN Relay)
or
MNsure Accessibility and Equal Opportunity Office
81 7th Street East, Suite 300, St. Paul, MN 55101-2211.
Email AEO@MNsure.org 855-366-7873 (voice or relay).
or
Minnesota Department of Human Rights Freeman Building
625 Robert Street North, St. Paul, MN 55155
651-539-1100 (Voice) 800-657-3704 (Toll Free) 651-296-1283 (TTY)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights prohibits discrimination in its programs because of race, color, national origin, age, disability and sex, including sex stereotypes and gender identity. If an applicant or enrollee believes they have been discriminated against, they have the right to file a complaint directly with the federal agency.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, Region V
233 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 240, Chicago, IL 60601
312-886-2359 (Voice) 800-368-1019 (Toll Free) 800-537-7697 (TTY)
Unlike state law, federal law does not protect people from discrimination based on marital status, sexual orientation, or receipt of public assistance. People who feel they were discriminated under one or more of these bases must file their complaints with one of the state agencies listed above.
Limited English Proficiency (LEP)
A person with limited English proficiency or “LEP” is not able to speak, read, write or understand the English language well enough to allow them to interact effectively with health and social services agencies and other providers. No person should be denied access to DHS program information or programs because they do not speak English fluently. County, tribal and state servicing agencies must provide appropriate language assistance services.
MHCP application forms and notices contain translation information in Arabic, English, Hmong, Khmer (Cambodian), Lao, Oromo, Russian, Serbo-Croatian (Bosnian), Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese. For more information, see the DHS Limited English Proficiency Plan (DHS-4210).
MHCP application forms are available in the six most commonly spoken languages in Minnesota. See the MHCP Application Forms policy for links to all application forms.
Several forms used by MHCP enrollees are available in six languages as well. Select “All languages” or choose an individual language on the DHS eDocs search web page for available translations.
Legal Citations
Code of Federal Regulations, title 28, sections 42.401 to 42.415
Code of Federal Regulations, title 45, sections 80.1 to 80.13
Code of Federal Regulations, title 45, sections 84.51 to 84.55
Code of Federal Regulations, title 45, sections 86.1 to 86.9
Code of Federal Regulations, title 45, sections 90.1 to 90.62
Minnesota Statutes, section 363A
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, Pub. L. No. 111-148, section 1557, 124 Stat. 119